Partners
by NatureGirl52180
Summary: Charlie Burns reflects on his family's relationship with the Rescue Bots as he eavesdrops on a Kade and Heatwave snark-fest.


_I tried very hard to NOT like Rescue Bots. I did. But, frankly, it's adorable. Maybe not my favorite iteration of Transformers, but still, it's corny and it cracks me up. Certainly a good cartoon to watch after a long day of adulting :) Hope you enjoy._

* * *

"Geez, Heatwave," Over the sound of the war whoops and six-shooters from the television, Kade's annoyed voice floated up from the bunker through the open garage floor, "how many of those old westerns are you going to watch today?"

"Depends," the big metal alien replied testily, "How long is it going to take for you to count 37 packs of gauze pads?"

There was a pause, "There's 39."

"37."

"39."

"37."

"Heatwave!" Kade snapped back. "There are 39 packs of gauze pads on this shelf."

There was another pause before Heatwave said, "All right." in a tone that clearly meant _"Be it on your head"._

For a few seconds, only the sounds of the gunfight from the western could be heard. Then, there was a disgusted snort and the sound of the gauze pad packs being slapped together as Kade began pulling them off of the shelf to count them again.

In the driveway, Chief Charlie Burns smiled and shook his head before returning to work. For the time being, the spat had passed. He would keep an ear out in case it flared up again and required his attention.

He moved the sham across Chase's hood, beginning to remove the wax he had applied to the bot's vehicle mode a few minutes earlier. The rough Maine winter had been hard his Cybertronian partner's paint job and chassis. Chase's daily patrols with Charlie had exposed him to more of the residual road salt then Heatwave and Boulder. Charlie had promised him that he would help Chase thoroughly clean out all of the grit on the first warm day of spring.

Rubbing in circles on Chase's hood, Charlie smiled when a slight flutter of air rumbled through Chase's vents. Heatwave had insisted that Cybertronians didn't sleep. Instead, they "recharged". But it was hard not to draw the comparison. To Charlie, Chase was catnapping in the warm spring sunshine.

It was good to see the bot relax. Chase could give new meaning to the word "uptight". When Charlie had first started working with him, he thought Chase would set him crazy. Once Chase had gotten a hold of the municipal codes, he had had them memorized in under an hour. But on the whole and despite their differences in size, policing strategies, and planet of origins, Chase and Charlie had gotten on relatively well since they had teamed up.

At least, their partnership was not nearly as difficult as others.

"So," Heatwave spoke up conversationally, "how many are there?"

Kade grumbled something unintelligible.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Thirty . . . . seven."

"Uh-huh." There was smug satisfaction in Heatwave's response.

"Look, if you know so much, why don't you do inventory?"

"Not my job."

Kade hefted a sigh. "Don't know why I have to do this today. It's beautiful outside. We should be out there practicing water rescues or something."

"Well," Heatwave came back, "if you had done it two weeks ago when Chief had asked you to, you wouldn't be stuck inside right now would ya?"

Kade's grumbled response was drowned out by the sound of rotors overhead. Charlie looked up as the sound grew closer and in less than a minute, Blades flew over the firehouse. The downdraft ruffled his hair as the bot wiggled back and forth in greeting. As he banked south, Charlie caught sight of Dani waving. He waved back and watched as the pair flew off over town to continue their patrol.

There was another set of partners Charlie had had doubts about. He loved his daughter dearly, but she wasn't always a team player. Dani got frustrated with others easily and preferred doing things herself as opposed to explaining them to someone else. Plus, she was downright fearless, and couldn't for the life of her understand why others weren't the same way. If something needed to be done, you sucked it up and did it; at least in Dani's mind.

And then she had met Blades: a being that could transform into a helicopter but was afraid of heights. That concept had been a little hard for all of them to swallow, but it had driven Dani to the brink of her limited patience. Blades wouldn't fly high and he wouldn't fly fast. He just wouldn't LISTEN no matter how much Dani yelled at him.

Of course, from Blade's perspective, he couldn't figure out why he was getting yelled at. It was only good common sense not to fly too fast or high. Blades was a cautious individual, and perhaps a little unsure of himself. Dani's anger and frustration only exacerbated the bot's insecurities and made him that much more unreasonable.

But then, Dani had made the conscious effort to be patient with her partner. She had talked to Blades and asked him to trust her rather than demanding it. The alien, reluctantly at first, had agreed. And since that time, Charlie had watched them grow as a team in leaps and bounds. Dani had become a better team player and Blades was brave to the point of surprising himself sometimes.

"How much longer you gonna be?" Heatwave's grouchy voice caught Charlie's ear again.

"It's going to take as long as it's going to take." Kade snapped back.

"It doesn't take anyone else this long." Charlie could hear the smirk in Heatwave's voice. "Maybe you should take your shoes and use your toes."

"Are you implying that I can't count?"

"How many packs of gauze pads were there?"

"You ever going to let that go?"

"Maybe. One day. If you're lucky."

"Guh," was Kade's disgusted response before the pair quieted down again.

Charlie had moved to Chase's door when Boulder's big green form turned up the drive towards the firehouse. Standing up straight, Charlie walked down to meet them.

Boulder pulled to a stop beside him and the cab door popped open. Graham swung down, com tab in hand. "Hey Dad."

"Hi son."

The cab door on the other side opened as well and within seconds, Charlie's youngest son, Cody was at his elbow. "Hey Dad. Why'd you stop us here?"

Charlie smiled at the youngster. "Chase has been on surveillance for the past few nights. He's napping in front of the garage."

Graham chuckled and shook his head as Boulder spoke up from the monitor. "Chase is a champion recharger."

"We finished inspecting the water main on Lake Street. It looks pretty sound, but certain sections are going to need to be reinforced before next winter."

Charlie tried to listen as Graham launched into a detailed explanation of what needed to be completed before the weather turned cold again, but he found himself truly studying the young man in front of him. This was not the same boy he had known only a few months earlier. Graham's intelligence was gift certainly, but it was also a hindrance in some ways. He was inherently shy and bookish, frequently overshadowed by his more outgoing and boisterous older siblings. Sometimes, he found it hard to communicate the amazing ideas rattling around in his head. When others couldn't understand him, he immediately assumed there was something wrong with him. He looked to others to lead, but Charlie was always sure Graham had the capacity himself, if only he had a little more confidence.

Charlie attributed the change in his son to the big green alien currently idling next to him. Boulder understood Graham in ways others, even his family, could not. Once Graham had realized that Boulder wanted to learn from him and was eager to share what he knew in return. Graham had begun to open up. He began to share ideas with Boulder who eagerly contributed his opinions and ideas.

It seemed that Boulder needed Graham as much as Graham needed Boulder. As the only engineer on the Rescue Bot squad, Charlie got the impression Boulder didn't get the opportunity to express ideas as much as he would like. On some level, engineers were visionaries. Even artists. But Boulder had been relegated to more mundane tasks, like engine repair, aboard the bot's spaceship. With Graham, Boulder got to build and create. And even better, for the good of humanity. Graham always searched out his input, taking the bot's perspective in to account.

Charlie had watched both individuals grow. Graham tended to take the lead more, even in intense rescue situations. Boulder was more likely to speak up and give an opinion. It was good to see.

"So what do you think?"

"Hm?" Charlie snapped from his musings to find his middle son staring at him expectantly. He cleared his throat. "Sounds like a plan."

"Uh-huh." Graham smiled, knowing his father hadn't really heard him, but secure in the knowledge that his father trusted him enough to say it was a good plan, anyway. "Maybe you should take a nap, Dad."

Cody laughed lightly as Graham smirked and climbed back up into Boulder's cab. Charlie stepped closer. "Where are you off to now, son?"

"We're headed to the wind farm to do some routine maintenance. And," Graham grinned fondly, "I promised Boulder that we would stop by the craft store to get some new paint."

"Graham said he would get me oil paints." Boulder spoke up excitedly. "I've read that it's a very tricky medium."

"And drop cloths, Dad," Graham said wryly, "We'll get a couple of those, too."

Charlie laid a fond hand on Boulder's tread. "Just be careful. Both of you."

"Don't worry, Chief. I'll have Graham home in time for supper."

"Thanks Boulder."

With that, the bot's engine rumbled and Graham waved as Boulder backed down the driveway and pulled out towards the wind farm. Charlie placed an arm around Cody's shoulder and the pair watched them until they disappeared around the block.

Once Boulder was out of sight, Charlie turned with his son and headed back towards the firehouse. "How was school today?"

"It was good." Cody replied in the off-handed, mechanical way most kids did when asked about school.

"Did you get your English report back?"

He felt Cody stiffen before the boy replied quietly, "Yeah."

Charlie braced himself. "And?"

"I got a C." Cody looked towards the ground, letting his father guide him as they walked. "I really tried, Dad."

Charlie smiled. Cody excelled in science, math, and even history. But English held virtually no interest for him at all. The boy struggled with it, frustrated that it wasn't coming as easily as so many other things did for him. He gave Cody's shoulder a pat. "It's an improvement. You'll get it."

Cody gave him a half-smile and then looked up the drive, catching sight of the cleaning supplies still sitting on the asphalt. "Can I help?"

"Sure." Grabbing a cleaning cloth from the ground, Charlie passed it to Cody. Immediately, the boy went to Chase's passenger side and began to polish the door.

As Charlie went back to work, he studied his son. In many ways, Cody was just like any other kid. He was a Lad Pioneer, played with his friends, and rode his bike. But despite his young years, there was an amazing mind at work. Though he wasn't 'book smart' the way Graham was at his age, Cody had an uncanny ability to examine a situation and present an innovative and workable solution. He had never met another child that could analyze a problem, break it down, and solve it the way Cody could. Quite frankly, his son amazed him.

He had almost missed it. Before the Rescue Bots had landed on Earth, Charlie had, of course, assumed that Cody was an inexperienced child. And although he was enthusiastic, there was no denying Cody was just a boy that would only hinder an operation. He had encouraged his son to wait and be patient.

That had all changed the night Trex had gotten loose in town. Charlie had been shown just how intelligent and brave his son was. The boy had been able to teach his older siblings how to interact with their new partners and contribute to the rescues. Over the next few weeks, it had become obvious that the team could not effectively function without young Cody Burns.

They had only been working a few minutes when Kade's irate cry made them pause. "Oh come ON! You've already _watched_ this one today!"

Cody stepped forward to grin at his father over Chase's hood. "How long have they been at it?"

"Off and on all day." Charlie replied as Heatwave snarked back with something Charlie couldn't quite make out.

Setting back to work, Charlie listened to Heatwave and his eldest son verbally spar. Never before had he seen two individuals try to dislike each other so much and fail so miserably.

From Day One, neither Kade nor Heatwave saw any merit to a partnership between bots and humans. Heatwave only complied because Optimus Prime made him. Kade only complied because his father made him. The first few rescues were rocky. Both Heatwave and Kade were independent, arrogant, and believed themselves to be above needing each other. And that was the crux of the problem: Kade and Heatwave were _exactly_ the same creature.

The thing of it was, it wasn't only the bad qualities they shared. Both were natural leaders, brave rescue operatives, and loyal to their teams. It had taken some time, but they had managed to win each other over.

Despite their continued quarrels, Charlie could see that the pair were not only becoming a seamless team, they were also becoming friends. Heatwave was always there to catch his son when a rescue went south. And Kade worried over Heatwave whenever the big metal alien showed the slightest sign of physical or emotional discomfort.

Of course, both Kade and Heatwave vehemently denied any sort of "bromance", but actions had always spoken louder than words for Charlie. For instance, Kade was the only one assigned to inventory detail. There was no real reason for Heatwave to be in the bunker, aside from his desire to keep Kade company. And, if Kade were truly annoyed with his partner, he could have ordered him to get out and leave him in peace; Heatwave would comply if the request were made. But there they were, happily picking at each other. Charlie could only conclude that on some level, both were content to be thoroughly agitated.

"Here." Heatwave snapped. "Here's the remote. Why don't you turn on one of those romantic comedies you're so fond of?"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Kade shot back defensively, "I only watch those with Hailey. She digs those things."

There was a snort. "Hailey wasn't here yesterday when you were watching "Hope Actually" or "Love Floats" or whatever it was."

"I was channel surfing!"

"Really? Looked like you had dropped anchor to me."

Cody was nearly helpless with silent laughter, trying hard to not wake Chase. Charlie, finding it hard to keep a straight face himself, rolled his eyes.

"You've got a lot of room to talk," Kade was nearly yelling now, "you overgrown John Wayne wannabe."

"You know what? You're right." There was a dangerous edge in Heatwave's voice. "Captain Cuddles."

Charlie, having sensed the oncoming storm, was already moving in to the garage as the predicted protest rang out. "DON'T CALL ME CAPTAIN CUDDLES!"

Behind Charlie, Chase's emergency lights flashed as the bot was startled awake. Cody was laughing and trying to orient the confused bot.

Charlie got to the edge of the pit just in time for Heatwave's "Or what?"

He peered down in to the bunker to see Kade standing on the couch, glaring at Heatwave. The offending alien was in front of the couch, bent down to Kade's level so that the pair could more effectively glare at each other.

"Kade!" Charlie barked sharply to get his offspring's attention.

Both Kade and Heatwave looked up sharply to see the chief standing over them, hands on his hips, glaring disapprovingly. "Yeah, Dad?"

"Is that inventory done yet?"

"Almost." Was the feeble response.

"Get it done." Charlie allowed an annoyed tone to color his voice. He paused before adding. "And then you boys can go OUTSIDE and play."

"Yes, sir." Both his son and the bot looked chagrin as Charlie gave them one last warning look and moved a few steps away from the pit. He waited, knowing what would happen next.

"See what you did?" Kade started in a harsh whisper.

"Me?" Heatwave shot back. "You're the one bellowing like an injured moose."

"I was not."

"Were too."

"Was not!"

"Were too!"

"Not!"

"Kade!" Charlie barked one more time.

There was a silent beat before Kade yelled, "Yes sir! Getting' it done!"

Cody was running a cloth over Chase's enamel when Charlie walked back over. Cody was still grinning. "Think they'll ever stop arguing?"

"I wouldn't know what to do if they did, son."

"Sir," Chase spoke up, now fully alert, "If Heatwave's intentional provocation of Kade bothers you, I could-"

"That's okay, partner," Charlie cut him off gently. "Let sleeping dogs lie."

There was a few seconds of silence before the question Charlie know was coming. "Has the family acquired a dog?"

"It's an expression, Chase." Cody spoke up as he continued to polish. "It means if you can live with a less-than-perfect-situation, it's best to leave it alone."

"I see." Chase replied musingly. "Pray tell, explain the advantage of a single avian in the palm as opposed to a pair in the shrubbery."

"You mean 'a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush'?"

"Is that not what I just said?" Chase asked, genuinely confused.

"Well, sort of."

"Why would you require an avian to begin with?"

Charlie smiled and began to pack up his supplies as his youngest son tried to explain Earth idioms to Chase. Down in the bunker, he could hear Heatwave offering to help with the inventory if Kade promised to go rock climbing with him when the next day. Dani, Blades, Boulder, and Graham would be home soon. It was almost time to get dinner started.

Stowing his supplies, Charlie wondered, as he often did, at what point this had all become so normal. When had the bots become more than machines, more than friends, and had become family? As usual, he decided to not overthink it and let it be. It was a little strange and far from perfect, but he wouldn't have it other way.

Moving towards the door that would take him to the living quarters, he caught one more snatch of the conversation from the bunker. "So, that's 24 bottles of hydrogen peroxide-"

"26."

"Really, Heatwave? Really?"


End file.
